Three-year-old Vanika Idnani was out with her parents shopping for her fourth birthday before her mother took her to the GP for flu-like symptoms.
The GP took her throat swab after Vanika’s mother, Anjali said the little girl had fever, was lethargic and complained about pain in stomach and joints.
But three days before her fourth birthday, she died in her parent's bed on July 29th in Sydney.
"She was singing in the shopping centre when we were buying gifts and decorations for her birthday," Vanika’s father Neeraj Idnani told .
"We thought she would be fine," Mr Idnani said. "We thought 'it's just a normal virus.' "
On the Saturday night, Vanika fell asleep next to her parents and never woke up.
"I woke up in the night and I suddenly realised she was not moving or breathing … I tried to move her but her hands were like stone," Mr Idnani said.
She was rushed to Westmead Children's Hospital, but she did not survive.
Her throat swab results revealed she had influenza which has claimed many lives this year.
Vanika's parents hope her case will serve as a warning to other families that even healthy children can be severely affected by the flu.
"We want there to be some awareness that these things could happen to anyone," he said.
More than 160,000 people have , ranging from mild to severe, and some even causing death.
Someone with may show symptoms that include a cough, sore throat, sinusitis or fever.
In case of fever or flu-related symptoms, please talk to a health professional, go to a hospital or call triple zero (000).
